


Here, I'll show you

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-27 00:07:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21109424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: He has no idea how to braid, and he doesn't want to disappoint his niece. Thankfully, his girlfriend can help him





	Here, I'll show you

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello!   
This thing took three days to write, and I’m so happy I managed to get it done :D  
The idea was a request by a lovely Nonnie, thank you <3  
Enjoy! <3

Claire left the hospital with a phone in her hand. She had to stop by the shop to buy a few things before joining Ethan that evening. He stopped her in the hall earlier that day, leaned in and practically begged her to come over and help him. his sister called him, asking for a favor. Katie, Ethan’s niece, was supposed to stay with him for a few days. No big deal, he’s done it before, but there was another dimension to his panic. The little girl asked him to do her hair for the party he was supposed to take her to, and that would prove to be a challenge. He couldn’t braid to save his life, and Katie refused to let anyone else do it, so he was stuck. And in desperate need of help.

Fortunately for him, he had a girlfriend. A girlfriend that knew her way around hair, her own blonde locks often pulled back from her face with an intricate braid. He never wanted to find her more than he did in that moment. He was ready to promise her to do about everything once he found her. She was beyond confused, especially when he looked at her as though she hung the moon in the sky, pushed her up against the wall and kissed her as though they were the only people there. He’s never acted that way before, not in the hospital hall, not in the place where people could very easily just walk in on them. She pulled away, laughing a little as his lips made their way down her neck, his stubble tickling her skin.

“What’s gotten into you?” she muttered into the air, trying not to react too loudly as he gripped her hips a little tighter. He hummed into her neck, continuing his ministrations without a single care in the world. Claire squeezed his arms, causing him to stop in his tracks. Her eyes searched his, telling him that she knew he was up to something.

“It’s Katie. She’s staying with me for a few days and I’m supposed to drive her to the party on Saturday.”

“So? What’s the problem? You’ve done it before.” she shrugged, knowing fully well that he didn’t tell her everything.

“She asked me to do her hair. And we both know I don’t know how to do that. So I was hoping that… you could teach me?” he trailed off for a moment before asking, waiting for her reaction. She waited a beat before losing the fight and bursting out laughing. Her forehead rested against his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around him to keep him close.

“Okay, so- wait- I’m sorry, I’m just- woo, okay.” She tried to catch her breath, failing miserably for a couple of times. “Let me get this straight. You tired to seduce me, in the hall of all the places, so that I would go home with you and… teach you how to braid hair?” she asked to make sure she got all the information. He nodded, burying his face in her neck. “You do know that you could have just asked me, right? I mean, don’t get me wrong, you can seduce me any time you want, but you don’t need to do it to get me to help you.”

“I’ll remember that.”

“Now, come on. You started something and I would be highly unsatisfied if you left me alone right now.” she smirked as she pulled him by his hand towards his office, her intentions clear as day to him.

\---- ---- ----

She opened the door to his apartment, juggling her bag in one hand and a bag full of groceries and hair accessories in the other. She made sure to buy all the things that would be appealing to a little girl, going as far as to buy a tiara. Claire and Katie had an amazing relationship, the little girl loved her uncle’s girlfriend so much, that she already claimed to be their flower girl on their wedding. Ethan ruffled her hair and told her that they would see what they could do, knowing perfectly well that he was lying. The ring was already bought and hidden, waiting for the right moment.

Or for him to man up and ask Claire to marry him.

“Ethan? I’m back!” she called out as she petted Jenner before moving towards the kitchen. There he was, with two glasses of wine that was too expensive, the one that he insisted on drinking anyway. He approached her, kissing her briefly as he took the bag from her, putting it on the counter.

“Have I mentioned that I love you?” he asked as he slid his arms around her waist, pressing her tightly against his body, their faces close.

“You may have slid it in between the words here and there. But you can say it anytime you want.”

“I love you.” Ethan muttered against her lips before kissing her, more intensely than before, his senses heightened by her closeness. She stroked his cheek tenderly before leaning back, shaking her head.

“No, no, no, mister. We have some business to do. Let’s finish and eat dinner, teach you some braiding and then, maybe you’ll get lucky.” She nuzzled her nose against his, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she whispered. “That depends on how well your fingers are going to work.”

She maneuvered around him, smirking as he groaned behind her back. Working at a record speed, she prepared a meal for them, sitting him down by the table. They conversed a little while eating, Jenner sitting by them too.

“Here, you have- “ Claire leaned in, brushing her thumb against the corner of Ethan’s mouth, wiping it clean. His hands gripped her hips, hauling her onto him, his face burying into her stomach as she stood before him. “You’re tickling me.”

“And you’re teasing me, so we’re even.”

“Okay, mister, let’s get started on the braiding thing.” She pulled him up from his seat and went towards the bathroom, taking her shirt off in the process.

“What are you doing, Rookie?” his eyes dragged over her exposed skin, his expression smug as he followed her.

“We’re going to take a bath. It’s going to be much easier for you to learn on my wet hair. It won’t slip so much, you’ll get a better grip…”

“I swear to god, if you don’t stop that, I’m going to make you beg and scream.” Ethan warned her as he worked on the buttons of his shirt, taking it off and throwing it onto the couch.

“Is that a threat or a promise?” she taunted him, laughing as his eyes got darker. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop. For now. Come, on, let’s get started.”

They got inside the bathtub, her back to his chest. She reached for the bottle of shampoo, but he got it first, lathering her hair up, massaging her scalp. Her eyes fell shut, her whole body relaxing under his touch.

“I like taking care of you.” Ethan muttered, pressing a line of kisses along the line of her shoulders. She hummed, leaning her hair further back.

“I like taking care of you too. And helping you. And making you m-“

“Don’t even think about it, Rookie.” He warned her, laughter coloring his voice.

“I was about to say ‘miss meetings with medical companies’ but okay, Dr. Grumpy”

“Sure you were.”

They finished cleaning themselves, her hair free from the shampoo. Claire sat up, straightening her back, brushing her hair behind her shoulders.

“Okay, we’re going to start slow. I’ll show you a basic braid and once you get a hang of it, we’ll move forward.”

She ran her fingers through her hair a couple of times to get rid of any tangles before proceeding to slowly braid it behind her head. Ethan was quiet, observing her every movement, focused on everything she was doing. Once she was finished, she let the braid go, wet hair ensuring it was kept in place relatively well. He ran his fingers along the lines of it, trying to memorize everything he saw.

“Are you ready to start or do you need more time?” she asked, turning her head to the side to look at him. His eyes were wide, like it was a challenge he couldn’t overcome. “Hey, it’s only hair. It’s not going to bite you. Here.” She detangled her hair and maneuvered his hands to grasp three strands. With her help, he managed to make a clumsy braid. “See? You’re getting there. Now, start over.”

“You don’t mind me playing with your hair like that?” his voice revealed just how insecure he was. Claire turned around, placing her hands on his cheeks. Their lips met in a soft kiss, filling him with warmth.

“I love it when you play with my hair, so by all means…”

As time went on, he got better at it. They moved to more complex braids, the water in the bathtub getting cold by the time they were finished. Claire got out first, drying herself with a towel. Ethan, on the other hand, stayed put, observing her with a smirk. She noticed him staring, looked over her shoulder and bit her lip.

“I would say that you’re the one teasing right now but…” she leaned down, their lips mere millimeters from each other. He ran his fingers along her sides, his eyes falling to her lips and back to her green irises. “… I can’t say I mind that.”

“Well then, let’s see what we can do about it.” he grinned as he got out of the water, grabbing and pushing her up onto the sink.

\---- ---- ----

“So, how was the party?” Claire asked as she signed off the paperwork for one of her interns. Ethan stood next to her, a file in his hand.

“Katie was over the moon. She actually said that she didn’t think I could pull it off. When I told her who taught me, she didn’t even blink, just shrugged her shoulders and said ‘Knew it.”. Can you believe the audacity she has?” he huffed, only slightly annoyed at the boldness of the little girl.

“Well, she is your niece, so I’m not that surprised…” she trailed off, bumping her hip against his in a playful manner.

“I’m not sure if I should hope our kids will take after me or no-“ he spoke without thinking about it, cutting himself off in the middle of the sentence. “I- I didn’t mean to-“

“I _do_ hope that our kids take after you. Not everything, of course, god forbid them being as grumpy as you, but-“

“Very funny, Dr. Herondale. Back to work, don’t give your interns a bad example.” He grinned, kissing her goodbye before moving down the hall, leaving her by the nurse’s station, a wide grin and a hint of blush on her cheeks.


End file.
